Birds hit by Napoli oil slick freed

The first of the birds rescued from oil slicks caused by the stricken tanker Napoli were released back into the wild yesterday. Twenty-eight guillemots, among 1,000 birds taken in by the RSPCA, were freed from Lynton in north Devon after countless scrubs in soapy water. The birds were harmed when oil leaked from the ship after it was grounded off the east Devon coast in January storms.

Experts said up to 10,000 birds may have been affected: for every one making it back to shore and rescue, it is estimated that up to 10 die at sea. Of those that found their way into the hands of the RSPCA almost 400 died or had to be put down.

The guillemots were covered in a mixture of heavy fuel oil and diesel. Each of the birds was handwashed by trained staff as many times as necessary to remove traces of the sticky oil from its feathers. Rupert Griffiths, manager of RSPCA West Hatch wildlife centre in Somerset, said: "For the past month we have done everything we can to look after them, help them to recover and give them the best possible chance of survival."

Their stomachs were flushed with a charcoal solution to reduce the damage caused by any oil they may have swallowed. The birds were also given about 300g of good quality fish a day to build up their weight, and their blood was tested for infections to make sure they were in good health before release.